Well, you probably don't want to know this, but I was fascinated by my mother's treadle sewing machine...she went upstairs to answer the phone, came back, and found me with my index finger pierced by the needle. I was sewing my apron...of course, she made a mistake, she told me not to touch the sewing machine while she was gone. I was about 4 or 5...funny thing, it didn't hurt until I saw my mom's legs coming back down the stairs...

Well, you probably don't want to know this, but I was fascinated by my mother's treadle sewing machine...she went upstairs to answer the phone, came back, and found me with my index finger pierced by the needle. I was sewing my apron...of course, she made a mistake, she told me not to touch the sewing machine while she was gone. I was about 4 or 5...funny thing, it didn't hurt until I saw my mom's legs coming back down the stairs...

Ouch! I can definitely see my daughter doing that becuase she loves to touch things. Luckily, I don't sew and the machine is in a separate box from the stand. I don't think I've ever used it since she's been born. I'm surprised she even knew what it was.

This will be a long story. We bought a house but before we can move in there are weeks of work to do and I am old and tired. We met our neighbors a while back and they let us know that they were going on vacation and asked us to keep a spare eye on their house. Well yesterday a young boy was mowing their lawn and since this is going to be a very hot weekend here in Michigan I went out to talk to him to see if I could hire him to do our lawn to save dh the work. I asked the young man how much he charged to mow the lawn and he said "nothing". Taken a little aback (but suspecting all along) I asked him why he was doing that and he said "to be helpful." I cannot tell you how impressed I was with him. (He's 13 years old.) Well, in two shakes of a lamb's tail I hired him to do our lawn (he didn't want to charge me to do it.) He was done in what seemed minutes and did an excellent job. Since we didn't discuss a price and still he did an excellent job I paid him more than I thought the job was worth.
When he was done we talked for a while and I told him that I had a lot more work he could do . He mentioned that he had a brother and I told him if they wanted to earn a few bucks they could show up today and I would put them to work. Well he showed up all right, with his whole family. I met them all. An altogether lovely group.
I put the boys to work, six hours of hard and sometimes disgusting work. These two kids aged 13 and 16 worked like Trojans. I did get them to take a break at lunch but everytime I told them to take a little break they said okay and just kept on working.
I thought I was going to need them to work for days to get to all of the stuff that was really bothering me. But in six hours they took care of the very worst of the work and all that is left is stuff that really needs to be done by mature adults who know how to handle machinery or who have real experience with a paint brush.
Because I promised them more work when we first started I feel I have to have them come over again so now I am scrambling to think of stuff to keep them busy for 1/2 a day. And at the rate these kids work that will be a tough task. For sure when we actually are ready to move I am hiring these kids to help.
It is so very refreshing to find two kids with such a great work ethic and I made sure to tell their parents too. I am going to write them each a letter of reference so that if they need it they can let other folks know that they are very responsible workers. Gosh, it's good to see some good in human beings. Oh, and did I mention that when I told these boys that I would pay them for their work they said "That's not necessary, we just want to help?" I may have to adopt them or at the very least kidnap them.

The doorbell rang and when I opened the door there was no one there - but there was a box addressed to ME from Japan. I immediately knew what was in it and where it came from, but what I didn't know was how beautiful it was and how loved it made me feel. I am the delighted owner of a flower covered bento box! I am not going to ruin it by mentioning the name, but you know who you are and I love you for my wonderful gift. It couldn't have come at a better time!

Many things make me smile. I spend most of my time with a smile on my face. I try to look at everything in a way where I see the good more than the bad. Since the loss of my mother in December of last year, I have cried more than any other time in my life, and my smile is not around as much as I would like it to be. I know it will get better at some point, but sometimes I beat my self over the fact that I am still crying so much. Reading the things that make everyone smile is fun for me and I smile while reading your stories. Thank you all for that! This weekend I smiled because my adult son told a story about his childhood illness to friends (where I was also present). In his story he said wonderful things about me with an understanding I was not aware that he had. He talked about how it was because of his mom that he knew that he would live and would be ok. God bless my "boy" and his life! He sure did make me proud, and yes he made me smile.

__________________No matter where I serve my guests, it seems they like my kitchen best!

the guy from the electric and gas company was here. he put new faucets thingesy on all my sinks. insulation on front and back doors. taped up the heater and a.c. housing. while he was at it, he fixed lock on my front door and my c.d. player, certainly not his thing, but he was just a nice guy. i got a new fancy handheld shower head for the main bathroom and new shower head in the other.

he said he was putting in for me a new hot water heater (mine leaks) a new a.c. the new fridge is still in the works. all of it was free. big smile

__________________
"life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain"

the guy from the electric and gas company was here. he put new faucets thingesy on all my sinks. insulation on front and back doors. taped up the heater and a.c. housing. while he was at it, he fixed lock on my front door and my c.d. player, certainly not his thing, but he was just a nice guy. i got a new fancy handheld shower head for the main bathroom and new shower head in the other.

he said he was putting in for me a new hot water heater (mine leaks) a new a.c. the new fridge is still in the works. all of it was free. big smile